1: Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Pierce the duck skin all over with a small sharp knife, but be careful not to tear the skin. Season the duck with the Szechuan pepper and salt to taste, then place it on a wire rack in a roasting tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast the duck for 35 minutes.

2: Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour off and reserve the fat that has accumulated in the tray. Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/Gas Mark 1. When it reaches that temperature, return the roasting tray to the oven and continue roasting the duck for a further 2 hours, basting with its own fat every 20 minutes.

3: Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour off 90 per cent of the duck fat from the tray. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Pour the runny honey over the top of the duck, then return the tray to the oven and continue roasting the duck for a further 15–20 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the pan juices and watching closely that the honey doesn’t burn, until the duck is cooked through and tender. On the last baste, add the soy sauce to glaze the duck. Remove the duck from the tray and leave to rest, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

4: Whilst the duck is resting, make the braised lettuce and potato pancakes.

5: For the lettuce, mix the stock, butter, thyme and lemon peel together in a large saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the butter. Place the lettuce halves in the stock and cover the pan. Turn the heat down to low and leave the lettuces to simmer for 8–10 minutes until they start to wilt. Remove them from the heat and keep warm.

6: For the pancakes, mix the mashed potato, flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Whisk together the milk and eggs, then stir the liquid ingredients into the potato mix to form a batter. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer them to the turned-off oven to keep hot. You should get 12–16 pancakes.

7: When ready to serve, sprinkle the duck, potato pancakes and braised lettuce with sea salt flakes. Carve the duck and serve with the braised lettuce and the potato pancakes. Spoon some pan juices over the top and tuck in.